Claudius Coin at Syndale: Time Team Hunts Britain’s First Roman Fort

43 AD. Richborough. 40,000 troops march inland — but where did they stop first? Time Team joins archaeologist Paul Wilkinson on a windswept ridge at Syndale, Kent, to test a bold theory: is this hill the site of Britain’s very first Roman fort? With Geophys struggling, the team chase V-shaped ditches, alignments with Watling Street, and a tantalising curve that might mark a gateway. A Claudius coin surfaces, samian sherds appear, and an Upchurch beaker rim raises eyebrows. Then the ground shifts again — literally — revealing a buried Roman road and a deep shaft crammed with clues, from decorated vessel fragments with lead rivets to a delicate bone pin. What do these finds really mean for the invasion timeline and the 150-year-old belief about Syndale? The verdict may surprise you. Watch to see how fieldcraft, pottery dating, and stubborn trenches untangle one of Roman Britain’s most puzzling early moments — and where the evidence finally points. #TimeTeam #RomanBritain #Archaeology #WatlingStreet #Claudius #Geophysics #Kent